Discussion 6

Extract

In listening to the last several presentations, Dr. Schneider noted the tremendous heterogeneity among behavioral symptoms of dementia. Yet many of the speakers discussed behavioral disturbances of dementia as though they are a syndrome. Cognitive disturbances of dementia are not discussed in this manner. Clinicians refer to patients having dementia with marked transcortical sensory aphasia and apraxia or dementia with frontal lobe symptoms. Dr. Schneider expressed concern over the tendency to group many behavioral symptoms together as though they were a syndrome. Dr. Brodaty concurred with Dr. Schneider, noting that his group found meaningful relationships with caregiver distress only when behavioral disturbances were analyzed as separate components, not when they were examined together.